Biology Ecology

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Ecology

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The study of how living things (organisms) interact with their environments.

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Biosphere

Back 2

The portion of the earth that supports life. ( from deep in the ocean to high into the atmosphere)

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Biotic Factors

Back 3

All of the living parts of the environment ( plants, animals, fungus, bacteria, protists)

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Abiotic Factors

Back 4

The nonliving parts of the environment. ( air, water, weather, temperature, soil, light, etc.)

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Food Chain

Back 5

A simple model that scientists use to show how matter and energy flow through an ecosystem, (nutrients move from autotrophs to heterotrophs to decomposers)

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Food Web

Back 6

All of the possible feeding relationships in a community.

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Consumers

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Heterotrophs (take in food)

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Producers

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Autotrophs (plants make their own food using the sun's energy)

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Herbivores

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Plant eaters

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Carnivores

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Meat eaters

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Omnivores

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Eat both plant and animals

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Scavengers

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Get energy from eating dead things

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Decomposers

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Organisms such as fungi that break down and absorb nutrients from dead organisms.

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Ecosystem

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The interactions among populations in a community and its physical surroundings.

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Community

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A collection of populations.

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Populations

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A group of organisms of one species that interbreed and live in the same place

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Organism

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A living thing

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habitat

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the area where an organism lives, including the biotic and abiotic factors that affect it ( p. 90 )

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niche

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full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions ( p. 91 )

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resource

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any necessity of life, such as water, nutrients, light, food, or space ( p. 92 )

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competitive exclusion principle

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ecological rule that states that no two species can occupy the same exact niche in the same habitat at the same time ( p. 92 )

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predation

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interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism ( p. 93 )

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symbiosis

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Any relationship in which two species live closely together is called symbiosis (sim-by-OHsis), which means "living together."

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mutualism

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symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationship ( p. 93 )

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commensalism

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symbiotic relationship in which one member of the association benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed ( p. 93 )

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parasitism

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symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives in or on another organism (the host) and consequently harms it ( p. 93 )

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ecological succession

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gradual change in living communities that follows a disturbance ( p. 94 )

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primary succession

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succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists ( p. 94 )

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pioneer species

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first species to populate an area during primary succession ( p. 94 )

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secondary succession

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succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil ( p. 95 )